Bishop McCort OT/DT Zach Rugg attracting D-1 interest

In the District 6 football landscape, Bishop McCort has been a model of consistency, reaching the district championship game in either the A or AA classification each of the last five seasons. And one of the key returning pieces from last year’s edition of the Crushers offensive and defensive lines is the focus of some Division-1 attention.

Zach Rugg, a 6’5, 275-pound offensive tackle/defensive tackle combination, holds a verbal scholarship offer from Temple and has received interest from eight other FBS and FCS programs, according to national recruiting services Scout.com and Rivals.com. Interested parties in the Crushers’ trenchman include Buffalo, Maryland, Michigan State, Pitt, Toledo, Villanova, West Virginia and Youngstown State.

Offensively, Rugg helped to pave the way for a McCort offensive arsenal that rolled up 265.8 yards (162.5 rushing, 103.3 passing) and 24.5 points per game. The Crushers’ offense scored 35 total touchdowns (25 rushing, 10 passing) and produced two backs with at least 710 rushing yards and a 1,260-yard passer.

Defensively, Rugg played in 12 of McCort’s 13 games, finishing with 99 tackles (60 solo), 1.5 sacks, a forced fumble and a fumble recovery, averaging 8.3 tackles per game. He finished nine of 12 games with tackle totals ranging between eight to 10. McCort held five of 13 opponents in 2010 to 14 points or less, with one shutout.

Bishop McCort finished 8-5 overall, reaching the District 6 Class A championship game opposite Bishop Carroll. McCort’s season ended at that juncture with a 32-13 defeat.